One Million Hits

The BLOG tripped quietly over the one million hits mark earlier today —  I have been laughing and smiling all morning: the idea of a BLOG written by a policeman moaning about mental health and capacity law as well as health guidelines being read over a million times is fairly hilarious.

A month or more ago I was at a College of Policing conference on Conflict Management, talking about mental health. In one of the breaks I was stood outside enjoying the sun when a Geordie sounding police officer walking past me patted me on the back and almost without really stopping said, “I love your BLOG: every time I get stuck or in difficulty with mental health jobs I have a look at it and I just do exactly what it tells me to do –  it always works and has got us out of various sticky situations” and off he walked before I could really thank him properly or ask his name.

I’ve no idea at all who he was but what I do know his generous remark was all the more gratifying for the fact that it came from someone I’d never met and do not know. I also know it is exactly why I wrote the thing – in the hope that some frontline police officers might find themselves better equipped to make a positive difference to their interactions with vulnerable people and mental health services and that some more senior officers would be able to go in to rooms with partner organisations and influence them.

I look forward to sharing some other incredibly positive news with you all on Wednesday in which I am sure the BLOG has played a significant part – then it’s time for a couple of weeks’ holiday!

Thanks to all those who read and use this blog, in whatever capacity and for whatever reason – if people weren’t reading it, I wouldn’t be writing it.

Michael./

PS — there will come a day where there’s nothing more to say and only the question of there being loads more to do.  We haven’t quite reached that day yet.  My own view – for what it’s worth – is that some of the activity we see at the moment is making things worse, not better, in the long-run.  But maybe one day …

Winner of the President’s Medal,
the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Winner of the Mind Digital Media Award

All views expressed are my own – they do not represent the views of any organisation.
(c) Michael Brown, 2015

I try to keep this blog up to date, but inevitably over time, amendments to the law as well as court rulings and other findings from inquests and complaints processes mean it is difficult to ensure all the articles and pages remain current.  Please ensure you check all legal issues in particular and take appropriate professional advice where necessary.

Government legislation website – www.legislation.gov.uk